


Darling, I'm Right Here

by Moth1988



Category: Sam & Max
Genre: Angst, Apologies, Arguing, Comfort, Crying, Dimension Travel, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Frustration, Gentle Kissing, Guilt, Hurt Sam, Hurt/Comfort, Long-Term Relationship(s), M/M, Miscommunication, Trouble In Paradise, Unresolved Emotional Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-14
Updated: 2020-05-14
Packaged: 2021-03-03 02:14:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,989
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24187216
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Moth1988/pseuds/Moth1988
Summary: A week after the events of 305, Max can't take the way Sam is looking at him anymore.Like he's looking at a ghost.
Relationships: Max/Sam (Sam & Max)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 82





	Darling, I'm Right Here

He can't take it anymore.

"Why do you keep lookin' at me like that? Like you're lookin' at a ghost.. I'm _right here_ , Sam!" 

The canine just blinks at him, and shakes his head. "Listen, buddy, I'm sorry--"

Max can't stand another sorrid apology. He's tired of it. 

Tugging at his ears in frustration, he screws his eyes shut, blocking out that _damned_ crestfallen expression on Sam's face. "I'm so damn sick of it, Sam! Ya look at me like I'm dead and ya keep talkin' about me like I didn't see the _exact_ same thing!" He shouts, and he's already regretting the words that tumble their way out. "Maybe I never shoulda come here, Sam. 'M sure you coulda done _just fine_ without me!"

Cursing his emotional instincts, he blinks back the tears clouding his eyes, he stares up at Sam pleadingly. "I'm _right here_ , Sam, don't ya get that?" He pleads, and hates how utterly weak his voice comes out. "Ya keep lookin' at me like I'm not right here infront of ya." He gulps back the lump in his throat and his breath hitches, but he tries to calm himself down, screwing his eyes shut and tugging at his ears. He's not going to cry about somethin' like this, not when he's trying to prove a point. 

And that point is, that he's tired of Sam treating him like he's a child, like he hasn't been _married_ to him for twenty years now. Practically ignoring him for days and insisting they "take a break". Not from their relationship, mind you, but from cases. Although, damn, with the way he'd been treating him the past week it's practically the same thing. Keeps insisting that he's _'doing just fine'_ and then distancing himself, treating Max more so like a child than his husband. It's like he's scared Max is gonna fall apart or something, break like the fragile thing Sam _clearly_ thinks he is. And he keeps looking at him like that, with that pitiful expression on his face.

Like he doesn't recognize him.

He could only take it for so long before he snapped.

It's been about two weeks since it all went down, and he supposes only a week for Sam. Took him another week to fix that damned elevator and sure, he could've held Sam to the same fate of a week apart, but he ain't cruel. Not in _that_ way, not to Sam. He didn't want Sam goin' through that, so he figured out a way to go exactly where and when he wanted to go.

If he's figured it right, guy was only without him for about fifteen minutes. Max guesses he could've spared him those fifteen minutes, but he knows Sam. He knows that Sam would need that time think and to calm himself down so he didn't shoot his little buddy on sight, convinced he was just a grief-addled delusion. Supposes he didn't want to freak him out too badly by popping out infront of the guy like; _"Oh hey! Haha, look at me, not dead! Sure I'm not your Max, but it's basically the same thing, right?"_

Maybe it was _stupid_ , and maybe it was _selfish_. Hell, Sam could've adjusted, probably would have faired just fine without him. The guy was pretty self-reliant, smart, stable. He could do just fine without Max.

Max couldn't, though. 

So yeah, it hadn't taken him long to figure out what he wanted to do about it. Took him a bit of time to enact it, sure, but he's here _now_ ain't he? Shouldn't that be what matters? He's almost drowning in the whole painful recollection when a sound draws him out if it.

He hears this little whine, like an unhappy pup. 

It's rare for Sam to actually portray any dog-like traits, it's something he avoids at all costs, going the extra mile to even hide away his tail in public. Max doesn't know if it's because of that one kid who teased him in middle school until Max beat him to a pulp, or just an offhand choice of Sam's for style and the whole ' _noir_ ' aesthetic. What he does know, is that he hasn't heard something like that little whine in years, and he can hardly believe he's hearing it now.

Actually, he starts to think he's possibly going insane before he convinces himself to peak out from behind his ears, just to prove if he's actually hallucinating or not.

He pries his eyes open slowly, peaking at his larger partner infront of him.

And _shit_ , Sam's actually crying. 

Max made Sam _cry_ , and he feels like the world is suddenly crashing down around him.

Max has always been the more emotional of the two, cries when angry, cries when sad, cries when he's too frustrated. It's just how lagomorph's are, explosive in nature and just about everything else. He's honestly not sure he can experience an emotion that's _not_ in the extremes, but he deals with it. Probably helped that the first time he cried infront of Sam, the guy didn't laugh at him or just stare in shock. Sam had just listened to him, quietly stroking at his back and tellin' him everything would be okay. 

But it's _not_ okay, is it? Right now, _nothing's_ okay and _Sam is crying_ because he pushed him too far.

Right now, _shit_ , he doesn't think he's ever felt more guilty. He hasn't seen his buddy cry in years.

He can't believe he _yelled_ at him, and enough to bring him to this kinda point. His heart drops into his stomach and his expression falls as his anger fades and cold regret sinks it's way in. " _Fuck_ , Sam, I'm sorry, I..." He takes a step back from him, and Sam just covers his face with a paw across his snout.

Guess he really _was_ the monster in this dimension, huh? He can see it now as his stomach churns with guilt, looking at Sam quiver like that. 

Max wants to hold him, _fix_ this, do something to make this better. He never could stand seeing Sam cry, and knowing he's the cause of it makes him want to puke. "Sam, _please_ don't cry, I didn't mean it..." He finally snaps out of his dimensional crisis and steps towards him, hand reaching out like that would make it better somehow, keep him from walkin' away. He knows Sam's going to turn around and leave him after all this time, and maybe it's fair of him to. 

Sam doesn't look at him, but he doesn't turn to leave. " _Please_ don't leave me, I'm sorry," He rambles, rushing over to him once he sees Sam continuing to cry quietly, whimpering behind his paw like a kicked puppy. 

It's eating him up inside, the fact that he caused this, but the urge to comfort his husband overrides his suffocating guilt. He's gotta fix this, no matter _what_ the cause of it. "Baby, please, I'm sorry," Max practically begs, and he wants to touch him but he's so scared the guy's gonna turn him away and he doesn't think he can handle that. So, instead, Max just keeps his twitching paws to himself. He wraps his arms around his body, hugging himself as he looks at what he's caused in true, genuine horror.

Sam finally pulls his paws back from his eyes, and Max fully expects the guy to run out on him. Twenty years down the drain, just because of a little dimensional shift. Maybe a death or two, sure, but they've faired through worse.

But Sam doesn't leave, doesn't even turn away. He just kneels down and wraps his arms around Max. The lagomorph tenses for a minute in surprise, ears upright before they droop downwards in surrender. He relaxes into it, returning the embrace and wrapping his arms around Sam as far as they can go. He can't help but start to sniffle when Sam speaks, body relaxing in relief. "I'm not leavin' ya, you big dope." 

Sam sniffles and wipes at his eyes, but doesn't let go of the lagomorph slumped in his arms. "I love you, why would I go anywhere else?" 

Max holds onto him tighter, burying his face in his shoulder. He can't help but snivel, and he's bawling before he knows it. "I'm sorry, Sam! I love you too, and I'm not gonna go anywhere either, I didn't mean what I said." He cries, and lets Sam stroke at his trembling back. "I didn't mean to make ya cry, Sam. I just didn't want ya worrying anymore, I thought ya might leave me because," He sniffles. "Because I'm not the one ya married, am I? And ya keep lookin' at me like ya don't recognize me." 

Sam holds onto him. "Oh, Max--" Max wipes almost angrily at his eyes, and remains grateful that Sam doesn't loosen his grip even when he cuts him off. 

"I saw ya die, _too_ , Sam. It was horrible, but I saw the exact same thing you did, and I still see it sometimes when I'm dreamin'." He knows he's rambling, but he can't stop it all from spilling out. He's so frustrated, but he doesn't want Sam to leave. Hell, he swears he'd probably fall apart right now if Sam wasn't quite literally holding him together in his arms. They haven't really talked about it, and it's all spilling out of him at once. "And I wanna tell you about it but you keep lookin' at me like I'm not here! Like I'm _dead_ , and I'm _not,_ Sam!" He shakes his head, buried in the coat's rough and worn material. "And _you're_ not, either." 

Sam pulls away from the embrace, and Max braces for... something. He still can't believe Sam hasn't just left yet. But he doesn't leave, of course, he just looks at Max with watery eyes. 

Max wipes as his tear and snot covered face, suddenly insecure under Sam's gaze. How does Sam look so _nice_ even when he's crying? It makes his heart flutter, and even more so when Sam leans in to kiss him. 

And it's sweet, so sweet that Max is suddenly crying all over again. Hell, it's probably pretty disgusting, but Sam doesn't break the embrace until he pulls back to breathe. He holds his cheek in his hand, lookin' at him with that horribly adoring look in his puppy dog eyes. It reminds him of the first time they got hitched, and every time after that.

"Oh, Max. You're the same person. You're _my_ Max no matter what dimension you jumped in from. 'M just scared you're gonna leave me again, little buddy. Like I'll wake up one mornin' and you won't be here." He swears Sam's face flushes just a bit, although it's hard to tell. "Heh, you're like a _dream_ , little buddy. Look like one, too." Max giggles grossly, and he wipes at the various liquids streaming down his face.

"Aw shucks, Sam!" Sam leans in again, kissing him briefly before he's pulling back again and bringing him in close. The guy always did know just what he needed, huh?

He eases into it, relaxing against his chest. He doesn't at all protest when he's being pulled off of the cold wood of the ground and into Sam's lap. "I'm not goin' anywhere, either," He repeats, and it's quiet but more than audible. He needs to make sure Sam hears it, gets it through his head that Max isn't going to shatter in his arms. 

He laughs, dry and humorless. "This blows, huh? The whole watchin' your partner die in a horrifyingly explosive death and then just havin' to deal with it thing?"

Sam chuckles and rests his snout on the top of Max's head. "Yeah, little pal, it blows. But I've got you here, right? And that's somethin'." 

Max nods against him. "Mm, that's definitely somethin'."


End file.
